The United States Constitution guarantees everyone the right to trial by a jury of his/her peers, and therefore juries have a long-standing tradition in American jurisprudence. The Superior Court Jury Manager’s Office is responsible for summoning Muscogee County citizens to serve as jurors on petit and grand jury panels. Petit jurors can serve on either criminal or civil juries, while grand jurors hand down indictments in criminal actions and perform other types of investigatory functions.

On the date that you have been summoned, you will be checked in and given an orientation on the petit juror process and what will be expected of you. You will also need to call the Jury Manager’s phone line, 706-653-4312 to receive additional instructions at the end of each day.

The Jury Manager is responsible for providing jurors to all nine trial Courts.  Administrative duties include issuance of subpoenas, payroll, deferment, orientation and oath of jurors.  Approximately 1300 jurors will be subpoena this year. Jurors are paid $25 per day for service.

All jurors will go through a metal detector when they go upstairs to the courtrooms.  Please do not bring books, magazines, phones, beepers, pocketknives, mace or pepper spray.

Jurors who are 70 years of age or older and would like to have their name taken out of the jury box should call our office for an age certificate.

PLEASE   DO  NOT  BE  LATE.

If you have medical problems, send a doctor's letter to:
Jury Manager
P.O. Box 1340
Columbus, Georgia 31902
or Get the doctor's office to fax a letter to (706) 653-4308.

Under Georgia law, exemptions are granted to the following properly documented persons.

• Persons age 70 or older that do not wish to serve may file an affidavit requesting their name be removed from the jury list.
• Full-time students at a college, university, vocational school or other post-secondary school who request to be excused or deferred must provide documentation from their school’s registrar’s office.
• Any person who is a primary caregiver having active care and custody of a child under four years of age who has no alternative child care available must sign an affidavit.
  
• As a full time employee your employer may not discriminate against you in any manner due to your jury service. If you need a copy of the law, O.C.G.A.34-1-3(a) and O.C.G.A.34-13(b), you may contact the Clerk of Superior Court at 706-653-4370 or you may contact the law library located in the Columbus Consolidated Government Center.